The Idaho Public Utilities Commission is
approving an amended power purchase agreement that gives a solar developer more
time to complete a project west of Mountain Home.

The amended sales agreement proposed by
Idaho Power Company and Grand View Solar One establishes an operating date of
Jan. 12, 2013. The project, 16 miles west of Mountain Home, will generate up to
10 average megawatts.

Idaho Power claims the scheduled online
date was Jan. 30, 2011.Grand View Solar
One claimed it had a “rolling” scheduled operation date for which a deadline
had not expired.

Under terms of the new agreement, Grand
View Solar One posted an $810,000 security for Idaho Power in case the project
is not operating by Jan. 12, 2013. The project also paid $475,000 in a
construction deposit. The agreement also states that if Idaho Power is the
cause of any delays, the operation date can be extended to accommodate those
delays without penalty to the developer.

Commission staff stated it is
inappropriate to allow any qualifying facility under provisions of the federal
Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act (PURPA) to have a rolling scheduled
operation date under which the project “can, in effect, unilaterally dictate
when it wishes to come on-line.”

The
manager of the Grand View Solar PV One project is Robert Paul of Deseret Hot
Springs, Calif.

For more information about this case, go
to the commission’s Web site at www.puc.idaho.gov.
Click on the electric icon, then on “Open Electric Cases,” and scroll down to
Case No. IPC-E-10-19.